No. 14 Purdue 67, Indiana 41

3/5/2006 6:27 PM

By CLIFF BRUNT
Associated Press Writer

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Aya Traore scored 11 points and Katie Gearlds added 10 to lead No. 14 Purdue past Indiana 67-41 Sunday in the Big Ten tournament semifinals.

Cyndi Valentin led Indiana with 21 points and Whitney Thomas added 10 rebounds for the Hoosiers.

Second-seeded Purdue (24-5) advanced to play No. 5 Ohio State in Monday's final at Conseco Fieldhouse. The top-seeded Buckeyes defeated No. 16 Michigan State 68-64 in Sunday's early game. It is the third time in tournament history that the top two seeds have reached the finals.

Purdue led Indiana 28-10 at halftime, the fewest points the Boilermakers allowed in a half this season and four off the school record for a half. The Hoosiers (17-13) shot 3-for-24 before the break.

The previous two games between the teams went to overtime, with each team winning on the road. Purdue was never threatened Sunday after taking an early 17-6 lead and led by as many as 31 points in the second half.

It was Indiana's lowest-scoring game of the season. The Hoosiers shot 26 percent, made 2-of-13 3-pointers and had 22 turnovers. Purdue outscored Indiana 24-11 from the free-throw line.

The Hoosiers considered themselves a team on the bubble for an NCAA Tournament bid, and felt their chances were good if they could beat the Boilermakers for a second time.

Purdue improved its record to 38-23 all-time against Indiana. The Boilermakers have won 16 of the last 18 meetings.

Purdue prevented alum Sharon Versyp from coaching the Hoosiers to their second tournament upset. Sixth-seeded Indiana beat No. 3 seed Minnesota on Friday.